The NFL trade deadline is over a month away, on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. ET.
But considering Jacksonville’s 0-4 start to the 2024 season, at least two NFL insiders believe the Jaguars are already nearing a position to sell.
In a Wednesday ESPN roundtable column discussing the trade market among other topics, insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano floated five players they could envision Jacksonville shipping away in the coming weeks if the Jaguars can not turn their campaign around.
Prompted by Graziano calling Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk a potential option for the pass-catcher-needy Pittsburgh Steelers, Fowler expounded on the possibility Jacksonville could deal players approaching the end of their rookie contracts to collect resources for the offseason.
Fowler had four players in mind, three starters and one key backup.
“Another loss or two could leave the 0-4 Jaguars trading away players. This roster is not barren. I could see teams inquiring on rookie-scale talent, such as linebacker Devin Lloyd, safety Andre Cisco and running back Travis Etienne Jr. I’m not saying Jacksonville wants to move marquee players, but we’ve seen this script before when a team implodes. The Jaguars have three starting-caliber offensive tackles, with Walker Little as the odd man out. Teams always need offensive line help and will make calls accordingly.”
Given the sky-high expectations Jaguars owner Shad Khan set for the club before the season and how Jacksonville has yet to get off the ground, it is fair to wonder if he would green-light a fire sale by general manager Trent Baalke at this point.
As Fowler alluded to, however, such situations have played out with struggling NFL teams before.
Kirk, Etienne, Lloyd and Cisco each occupy starting positions for the Jaguars.
Kirk is in the third season of a four-year, $72 million contract he signed with the club in 2022 and is set to account for $24.4 million against Jacksonville’s salary cap next year after restructuring his deal in 2023.
After a slow start to his 2024 campaign with two catches for 29 yards between Weeks 1-2, Kirk has caught 15 passes for 140 yards in Jacksonville’s last two games. He has 158 receptions for 2,064 yards and 12 touchdowns over 33 starts with the Jaguars.
Etienne, a first-round NFL draft pick by Jacksonville alongside his college quarterback Trevor Lawrence in 2021, is in his third season as the Jaguars’ starting running back after missing his rookie year with a Lisfranc injury. The fifth-year option on his rookie contract, for 2025, was picked up in April.
Etienne has logged 214 rushing yards and two touchdowns over 47 attempts this season, adding 10 receptions for 48 yards. He is up to 2,437 yards and 18 touchdowns over 534 rushes and 103 catches for 840 yards and one touchdown receiving.
Jacksonville’s second first-round pick in 2022, Lloyd has started in 33 of his 35 appearances with the Jaguars, recording 263 total tackles including three for loss, three interceptions, 17 defended passes and one forced fumble.
Lloyd posted 21 tackles, two pass breakups and the forced fumble between Weeks 1-3 this year, before missing Week 4 with a knee injury.
Cisco was a third-round pick by the Jaguars in Etienne’s draft class and emerged as a starting safety for the club in his second season, 2022.
After recording seven interceptions and 15 defended passes in 30 games over the last two seasons, Cisco is off to a slow start this season with only one pass breakup in four contests. He has logged 17 total tackles, though, increasing his career total to 178.
Of the quintet, Little arguably stands as the most reasonable trade candidate as he has yet to carve out a full-time starting role in four seasons with the Jaguars, despite his draft status.
The 2021 second-round pick has appeared in 44 games, though, making 17 starts and logging 1,145 offensive snaps in the roles of swing tackle and backup guard. He is in the final season of his rookie contract with Jacksonville.